168 DOMESTICATED ANIMALS AND PLANTS 
it has been tested on a large scale, as in the color of dogs, theory 
is found to be true to the facts. 
This series of fractions, therefore, may be taken as a good 
statement of the law of ancestral heredity, or the probable re- 
semblances between successive generations of the same family 
line, whether the line be of pure or of mixed breeding. Of 
course, as has been observed, if the line be extremely well 
selected and closely bred, then all resemblances will be close, 
and it may even look as if the resemblance to the immediate 
parents is absolute; but this is only because the near and the 
remote ancestors are alike, and a little study of species in general 
will convince the student that the natural proportions are as 
stated, which series also represents the relative degree of rela- 
tionship and intensities as can be represented by no other series 
of fractions that could be arranged. 
Chance of resembling a particular individual ancestor. This 
series of fractions refers to generations, not to individual an- 
cestors. Each must be divided by the number of individuals of 
that generation in order to get the chance of the offspring 
resembling any particular ancestor, say, the paternal grand- 
mother. The following table gives in condensed form this series 
of fractions, thus apportioned among the individual ancestors. 
EFFECTIVE HERITAGE CONTRIBUTED BY EACH GENERATION AND 
BY EACH SEPARATE ANCESTOR ACCORDING TO THE 
Law oF ANCESTRAL HEREDITY 
Generation Contribution of each Number of an- Contribution of each 
backward generation cestors involved ancestor 
I YY zu a 
7 t + 1s 
3 s 8 tes 
4 th 16 ats 
5 35 oF Tee 
6 oF 64 Toss 
From this we see that an individual five generations back stands 
but one chance in over a thousand of impressing a character 
